Watson’s Living Curiosities

This poster for "S. Watson's American Museum of Living Curiosities", which dates from 1885, can be found at the British Library site. All the exhibits seem like pretty standard stuff for a 19th-century museum: the stoutest lady in the world, the two-headed marvel, snake charmer, etc. It's the "Australians" exhibit that puzzles me. They don't really look like Australians. Are those outfits something that Aussies often wear?

Comments

In fact, I don't believe stokings and dresses for blokes were ever really big here.

Posted by Scriitor on Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 01:14 AM

Nope, nothing I've ever worn either. Considering it's from 1885 I'd have guessed if they were exhibiting 'Australians' it would have been some of the indigenous population. Or a platypus.

Posted by Nettie in Perth, Western Australia on Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 01:22 AM

The costumes look like Alpine peasant costumes. Surely it's not an erroneous insertion of a picture of Austrians?!?

On the other hand, maybe it's their dull eyes and prognathous, low-browed visages that mark them as Australians - our antipodean colonials were (then as now) the regrettable products of rampant inbreeding between uncouth convicts.

Posted by outeast on Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 02:46 AM

Australia was far enough away and hard enough to reach in those days that it was an exotic label for oddities. After all, few of the visitors to such shows would ever go to Australia to check out the accuracy.

They appear to be the usual "pinheads" (microcephalics) touted as sometimes touted as Aztecs (another exotic place most folks wouldn't be able to visit themselves).

I believe it's just advertising puff, using a faraway land to hint at something wild or exotic.

Posted by Sarah (Messybeast) on Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 04:03 AM

Australians have always been a curiostity to me. Where is this show going to be? :D

Posted by Dan Sz. in MI on Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 10:07 AM

>>I wouldn't say we dress like that often... In fact, I don't believe stokings and dresses for blokes were ever really big here.<<

Pity. I had a great image in my head of a bunch of Australians gathered around a barbecue dressed like this.

Posted by The Curator in San Diego on Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 10:09 AM

Sarah's right. They're pinheads from the picture, and it was common practice to label a particular type of 'freak' (forgive the term but in the context it's the best) as being from some far-flung place.

As if they ALL looked like that. In terms of costume, it's possible that the guys who were calling them 'Australians' hadn't got a clue what Aussies (or, possibly, Aboriginies which may be what they were getting at. Exotic civilisations and all that) and just dressed them as Austrians.